I’ve always liked the idea of a hash; various bits of food all chopped up and cooked together. I tried to make a corned beef hash once which was somewhat eventful. I was at University in my student house with two of my friends. The can of corned beef was being somewhat stubborn so I used my intuition and tried to open the can with a can opener. Suffice to say there was some slippage and some slicing and next thing I know I’m running around the kitchen with all of us pretending to be braver than we are trying to wrap my hand in kitchen roll. Luckily we lived near the hospital so off we trudged, in the ice and snow, to sit in A&E with all the people who had dislocated something slipping on the ice. I ended up with four stitches and my two fingers bandaged up which provided much amusement for the following week. In my haste to leave the house I had left a pan of water on the hob; this was also the night I learned you can burn water.
Curried Lamb Pie with Bombay Potato Topping with Schwartz
Ingredients
You will need (for 4):
For the lamb:- Flavourless oil for cooking
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 1 tomato, seeds removed and chopped
- 2 tsp tomato puree
- 3-4 tsp Schwartz Curry Powder (I used mild but you could use a hotter one if you like)
- 400g minced lamb
- 100g frozen peas
- Salt and pepper
Leek, Cheese and Potato Pie
Ingredients
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You will need (for a pie for four):
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1 medium potato, peeled and in small cubes
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£0.20
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1 large leek, finely sliced
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£0.50
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1 tbsp plain flour
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£0.02
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75ml milk
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£0.05
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125g strong cheddar cheese, grated
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£1.00
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Small handful chopped chives
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£0.20
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Salt and pepper
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£0.02
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Small knob of butter plus extra for greasing
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£0.10
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Milk for brushing
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£0.02
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Readymade and rolled shortcrust pastry
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£1.50
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Total
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£3.61
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Method
Boil the potatoes and cook for 7-10 minutes or until tender then drain and put to one side. Fry the leeks on a medium heat in a little butter for around 10 minutes, until softened, then add the flour. Cook for a minute then add the milk and stir well while heating to make a thick sauce. Add the potato, cheese, chives and salt and pepper to the cooked leeks. Preheat oven to 180C and lightly grease a pie dish with butter. Take two thirds of the pastry and line the pie dish. Trim any excess pastry, prick the base with a fork, line with greaseproof paper then fill with baking beans or rice and bake for 12-15 minutes then remove the beans and greaseproof and return to the oven for 2 more minutes. Pour the filling into the pastry case. Brush the edge of the pastry base with milk and roll out the remaining pastry. Top the pie with the pastry and press the pastry well onto the pastry base. Trim any excess and brush the top with milk.Cut a slit in the top of the pastry then put back into the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
The leeks and chives in this give a brilliant green colour to the pie so it’s not all beige. I liked that the filling wasn’t too wet and stodgy but you could clearly see and feel the potato and leek. Comfort food is always welcome, particularly when it’s mostly carbohydrate based and this was my perfect dinner on a rainy evening this week. Not only exactly what I wanted but also a bargain for four people. You could of course make your own pastry but when I’m as busy as I am now, readymade and rolled is my best friend.
Luxury Leek and Potato Soup with Homemade Soda Bread
Ingredients
| You will need (for two big bowls of soup): | |
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1 medium onion, sliced
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£ 0.10
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2 large leeks
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£ 0.90
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Large knob of butter
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£ 0.15
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2 large potatoes (around 500g)
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£ 0.50
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100ml double cream
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£ 0.40
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850ml vegetable stock
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£ 0.10
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Small handful chives
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£ 0.25
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Salt and pepper
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£ 0.02
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For the soda bread:
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300g spelt flour
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£ 0.66
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10g baking powder
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£ 0.06
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5g salt
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£ 0.01
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230ml buttermilk
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£ 0.75
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Total
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£ 3.90
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method
Wash the leeks and then slice them thinly. Heat the butter in a saucepan on a low to medium heat and fry the onion and leeks for around 15 minutes until softened but not brown. Peel and dice the potato then add this to the leeks and put the lid on the pan. Leave the potatoes to soften for around 10 minutes.
Add the stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Boil with the lid on until the potatoes are tender then add the cream and some salt and pepper. Let the soup cool down before blending the soup until smooth. Return to the pan to warm through and then chop up the chives and use them to top the soup.
Potato, Swede and Bacon Dauphinoise
Ingredients
You will need (for 4 as a side):
- 350g potato, peeled and thinly sliced
- 350g swede, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 4-5 rashers smoked, streaky bacon
- Oil for frying
- 150ml double cream
- Salt and pepper
- Butter
Method
Fry the bacon in a little oil until crispy then set to one side.
Layer up the potatoes, swede, garlic, bacon, and add a little salt and pepper to each layer, finishing with a layer of potatoes and swede in an ovenproof dish.
Pour the double cream over the veg then dot the top with butter.
Place into an oven at 170C for 1 and 1/4 hours or until soft through when tested with a knife.
If you find it’s browning too quickly cover the dish with some foil before returning to the oven.
New Potato, Green Bean and Iberico Salad
More and more I am cooking Spanish food and dishes. It’s a cuisine I have dabbled in while dining out but not one that I am terribly experienced in; I’ve made a few paellas and tapas in my time but I’d like to delve deeper and cook some more unusual meals in the future. This dinner was a bit of a hodge podge mix of ingredients but it worked wonderfully well.
Ingredients
You will need (for two):- 500g small new potatoes (I used Jersey Royals), scrubbed
- Small handful green beans, sliced in inch sized pieces
- As much Iberico ham as you can spare
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sherry vinegar
- 1 small garlic clove
- Salt and pepper
Method
This is a throw it together really simple recipe. Put the potatoes into cold salted water and bring the potatoes to the boil. When the potatoes are almost cooked, add the beans into the same water for the last 2 or 3 minutes of cooking. In the meantime mix together three parts oil to one part vinegar (make extra if you have some spare bread to dip in afterwards) then crush the garlic clove in and add the salt and pepper. When the potatoes and beans are cooked, drain them and pour the dressing over to warm through. Serve up and top with the Iberico ham.It’s such a simple meal but it delivers so much flavour. Earthy potatoes, sweet beans, sharp dressing and creamy Iberico ham make each mouthful different in flavour and texture. It took around fifteen minutes from start to finish and with a nice glass of wine makes a delicious, quick Friday night dinner. Well with a bit of imagination you could be on the Andalucian coast.
Paprika Topside of Beef with Roasted Garlic Mash and Peas and Onions
Enter my knowledgeable butcher. I had heard that hanger (or onglet) steak was a cheap alternative that is normally used for slow cooking. Unfortunately there was no hanger available as it was all frozen, but not to worry, as I was assured that a few slices of topside would be a good substitute. My butcher took off a few thick steaks from the topside and butterflied them for me, I couldn’t wait to give it a try. The topside came in at £12.95 per kg whereas sirloin would have been £24.50 per kg.
Feta and Mint Potato Croquettes
Ingredients
You will need (for 4-6 croquettes):
- 6 medium potatoes
- Small knob of butter
- 120g feta cheese
- A few sprigs of mint
- Salt and pepper
- Seasoned flour
- 1 egg
- Breadcrumbs
Method
Start by peeling the potatoes and chopping them up to roughly same sized pieces. Put these on to boil in salted water until they are soft. Drain and then mash the potatoes with the butter and some salt and pepper. Crumble the feta and chop the mint then stir them both into the potato.
Roll the potato mixture into tubes, balls, squares or whatever takes your fancy. Put the seasoned flour in a bowl, the egg in another bowl (beaten) and the breadcrumbs in a different bowl. Put each croquette into the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. When they are all well coated fry them in a little oil in a pan on a medium/high heat until golden brown all over then drain on some kitchen paper.
The Cornish Pasty
Before the pasty police come out in force and criticise my ingredients or method, I think it’s important to point out that I am not Cornish. However, my better half is half Cornish and his Grandmother a full on Kernow woman and she has passed on some of her pasty knowledge.
Making pasties is quite personal; only you know what proportions of vegetables and meat you like, how full you want your pasty to be and how big. Because of this I can provide a guide but you can change proportions at will. To make four large pasties I used: one large and one medium potato, half a swede, three small onions and 500g of skirt steak. For the pastry I used 400g of plain flour, 200g butter and enough cold water to make a dough.
Jerusalem Artichoke Gratin, Buttered Spring Greens and Sausages
The sausages I had for this were some lovely, local chipolatas from a fantastic butcher. My butcher not only knows everything there is to know about meat, he knows a fair few things about vegetables. I heeded his advice about cooking the spring greens and they turned out brilliantly – see below.
Jerusalem artichokes aren’t very big and to make the most of them I needed a helping hand from the potato. In total you need 450g finely sliced and peeled artichokes and potatoes. You don’t have to peel the artichokes if you give them a good scrub but I did. They have a tendency to go brown very quickly once peeled so speed is of the essence here.
Layer the finely sliced potatoes and artichokes in a baking dish, seasoning between each layer. Mix together 120ml cream and 180ml milk and pour this over. Place in an oven at 170C for an hour and twenty minutes.